Hearing aids are currently the only treatment option for ARHL. There is a growing literature on the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline however, it is unknown whether this link is via common pathological mechanisms or because the lack of auditory input contributes to accelerated cognitive decline. ARHL inevitably causes communication difficulties and is associated with social isolation, depression and reduced physical and cognitive function. Projections in both the US and UK suggest that the number of people affected by ARHL will effectively double by 2031, largely due to an increased lifespan (Action on Hearing Loss /your-hearing/about-deafness-and-hearing-loss/statistics.aspx). Thus, 15% of people between 50 and 59 years have bilateral hearing loss, rising to 31% in people 60-69 years of age and 63% in those over 70 years (US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ). The frequency of bilateral hearing loss doubles for every 10 years over the age of 50. Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common sensory loss in the elderly. However, in the context of increasing longevity of the population, the contribution of hearing loss to the general health and well-being of individuals during that extended lifespan is of great clinical and economic significance. It is partly as a consequence of this perception that the overall contribution of hearing loss to disability and reduced quality of life is under-appreciated. Finally, we outline the ways in which hearing researchers are utilising the mouse in the investigation of ARHL and provide perspectives on the need for these data to be integrated with the results of human genetic studies.Īn age-dependent, progressive decline in hearing function is so common that it is often mistakenly perceived as an inevitable part of the ageing process in humans. Here, we review the need for an animal model and discuss the suitability of the mouse as an ARHL model. As focus is now turning toward elucidating the most common form of hearing loss, ARHL, the mouse will again play a fundamental role in this research. The mouse has proved an essential tool in the identification of early-onset deafness genes and in revealing the basic mechanisms of hearing. In contrast, knowledge of the pathological processes involved in ARHL remains very limited. In the last 15 years, there has been a vast increase in our knowledge of the genes that underlie congenital deafness and the critical components of hearing. ARHL is a complex disorder with a mixture of genetic and environmental components, a combination that leads to a progressive decline in hearing function with increased age. The most common form of sensory disability is age-related hearing loss (ARHL), also referred to as presbycusis.
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